Otis Singleton
Electric eels are a genus of neotropical freshwater fish from South America, famous for their ability to stun their prey by generating electricity. They are found in the murky pools and calm stretches of the middle and lower Amazon and Orinoco river basins. In addition to stunning prey, they use their electric powers for defence, communication and navigation. Despite their name, electric eels are not closely related to true eels (Anguilliformes) but are members of the electroreceptive knifefish order Gymnotiformes, which also includes carp and catfish.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Continent | South America |
| Countries | Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana, Surinam, Venezuela |
| Habitat | Freshwater, muddy waters, rivers, pools, calm stretches |
| Rivers | Amazon, Orinoco, rivers in Surinam |
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What You'll Learn
The three species of electric eels
Electric eels are a genus of neotropical freshwater fish from South America, and members of the subfamily Electrophorinae. They are known for their ability to stun prey by generating electricity, delivering shocks of up to 860 volts. In 2019, the genus was split into three species:
Electrophorus electricus
This species is native to the northern part of South America, specifically the Guiana Shield. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1766, based on early field research by Europeans in South America. It has a U-shaped head with a flattened skull and cleithrum. E. electricus is one of the two upland species that live in fast-flowing rivers and provide less parental care.
Electrophorus voltai
E. voltai is found in the southern part of South America, ranging from the Brazilian shield northwards. It is the other upland species that inhabits fast-flowing rivers and exhibits reduced parental care. This species mainly feeds on fish, particularly the armoured catfish Megalechis thoracata. It has also been known to consume caecilians, which are legless amphibians.
Electrophorus varii
E. varii is found in the central region of South America, primarily in the lowlands. Its habitat includes streams, grassland, ravines, ponds, and swamps, with significant variations in water levels between the wet and dry seasons. Like the other two species, E. varii inhabits muddy river bottoms and deep shade areas. It is also capable of tolerating low-oxygen water by swimming to the surface to breathe air.
These three species of electric eels are distributed across the northern part of South America, including countries such as Brazil, the Guianas, Suriname, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. They are known for their ability to generate electricity and stun their prey, making them fascinating and unique members of the fish family.
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E. electricus in the Guiana Shield
Electric eels are a genus of neotropical freshwater fish from South America. They are known for their ability to stun their prey by generating electricity, delivering shocks of up to 860 volts. They are also known as "puraké", meaning "the one that numbs" in Tupi.
In 2019, electric eels were divided into three species: E. electricus, E. voltai, and E. varii. E. electricus is confined to the Guiana Shield, which consists of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and parts of Brazil. This region is known for its high biodiversity, housing over 3000 vertebrate species.
E. electricus is an upland species that lives in fast-flowing rivers and muddy river bottoms. It has a flattened skull and cleithrum, with a U-shaped head. This species makes less use of parental care, with the male providing protection for both the young and the nest. E. electricus can produce electrical discharges when they are as small as 7 cm (2.8 in) long.
The Guiana Shield is a region of high biodiversity and is home to many endemic species. The shield is overlain by the largest expanse of tropical forest on any Precambrian shield area in the world. The Guianan rainforest is similar to the Amazon rainforest, and there are several protected areas within the shield, including national parks in Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil.
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E. voltai in the Brazilian Shield
Electric eels are a genus of neotropical freshwater fish from South America. They are known for their ability to stun prey by generating electricity, delivering shocks of up to 860 volts. They are mostly nocturnal and live in muddy, dark waters with poor eyesight. They emit a weak electric signal to navigate, find a mate, and find prey. Once prey is found, they use a much stronger shock to stun it, usually smaller fish.
E. voltai is one of the three species of electric eels, the other two being E. electricus and E. varii. E. voltai was discovered in 2019 by C. David de Santana and colleagues based on DNA divergence, ecology and habitat, anatomy and physiology, and electrical ability. It is found in the southern part of South America, ranging from the Brazilian Shield northwards. It lives in upland waters, including in the north-flowing rivers of the Brazilian Shield.
The Brazilian Shield is a geological formation in Brazil that is known for its ancient, Precambrian rocks. It covers about 3,200,000 square kilometres and is one of the largest cratons in the world. The shield is made up of a variety of rock types, including granite, gneiss, and greenstone belts. The area is also home to a diverse array of flora and fauna, including several species of electric fish such as E. voltai.
E. voltai is a fish predator that mainly eats fish, particularly the armoured catfish Megalechis thoracata. It sometimes hunts in packs, herding shoals of tetras and launching joint strikes on the closely packed fish. It has been observed to have a caecilian (a legless amphibian) in its stomach, indicating that the species may be resistant to the caecilian's toxic skin secretions. E. voltai grows continuously throughout its life, adding more vertebrae to its spinal column. It is sexually dimorphic, with males being larger and growing to reproductive maturity at a length of 1.2 metres, while females begin reproducing at a length of around 70 centimetres.
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E. varii in the Amazon Basin
Electric eels are a genus of neotropical freshwater fish from South America. They are known for their ability to stun prey by generating electricity, delivering shocks of up to 860 volts. They are closely related to carp and catfish.
In 2019, two new species of electric eels were discovered in the Amazon Basin, one of which, Electrophorus varii, is capable of delivering a record-breaking jolt. E. varii inhabits the slow-flowing lowland waters of the Amazon Basin. The lowland region of E. varii is a variable environment, with habitats ranging from streams through grassland and ravines to ponds, and large changes in water level between the wet and dry seasons. The water levels drop during the dry season, when female eels lay between 1,200 and 1,700 eggs. The male makes a nest using his saliva, and the female deposits around 1,200 eggs for fertilisation.
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about 7,000,000 square kilometres, or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. The basin is located in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, and the territory of French Guiana. Most of the basin is covered by the Amazon rainforest, which is the largest rainforest in the world. The Amazon River is one of the two longest rivers in the world, with a length of about 6,400 kilometres before it drains into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Amazon rainforest is a biodiverse region, with about 2,500 known fish species and an estimated 1,000 additional undescribed species. It is home to more than 1,400 species of mammals, mostly bats and rodents, and larger mammals like the jaguar, ocelot, capybara, puma, and South American tapir. The rainforest also boasts about 1,500 bird species.
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The electric eel's habitat
Electric eels, despite their name, are not true eels but are neotropical freshwater fish. They are found in the calm waters of the middle and lower Amazon and Orinoco river basins in South America. They are confined to muddy waters, with poor eyesight, and are mostly nocturnal.
The three species of electric eels are E. electricus, E. voltai, and E. varii. E. electricus is found in the northern region of the Guiana Shield, while E. voltai is found in the southern region, ranging from the Brazilian shield northwards. Both species live in upland waters. E. varii is found in the central region, largely in the lowlands. The lowland region of E. varii is a variable environment, with habitats ranging from streams, grassland, and ravines to ponds, and large changes in water level between seasons. All three species live on muddy river bottoms and sometimes swamps, favouring areas in deep shade. They can tolerate water with low oxygen levels as they swim to the surface to breathe air.
Electric eels are able to produce electrical discharges of up to 860 volts, which they use for defence, hunting, communication, and navigation. They have poor vision and use low-level electric pulses to navigate and explore their surroundings. They also use these electrical signals to communicate with other electric eels, conveying information about their sex and sexual receptivity. When hunting, they emit two rapid electric pulses, called a doublet, which causes the prey's muscles to twitch, alerting the eel to its presence. They then use a series of high-voltage pulses to paralyse and consume their prey.
Electric eels are top predators, with few animals willing or able to take them on. They are known to eat amphibians, fish, and crustaceans. They are sexually dimorphic, with males being larger and reproductively active at a larger size. During the breeding season, males construct nests made of saliva, and females deposit around 1,200 eggs for fertilisation. The adults provide prolonged parental care lasting four months, although the upland species appear to make less use of parental care.
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Frequently asked questions
Electric eels are found in South America.
They are found in the Amazon and Orinoco river basins.
Electric eels are freshwater fish. They live in muddy, dark waters and are mostly nocturnal.
The water has low oxygen levels, which is why they swim to the surface to breathe air.
In human care, males typically live for 10 to 15 years, and females generally live for 12 to 22 years. The average lifespan of electric eels in the wild is unknown.
